Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Award Recognizes Their Influence on the
National Implementation of HFA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago, IL (December 3, 2012) — During the Healthy
Families America 20th Anniversary Celebration at Prevent Child Abuse
America’s recent national conference “Awaken to Change - the National
Conference for America’s Children” in Jacksonville, Florida, Gail Breakey and
Betsy Dew, recognized trailblazers in the field home visiting, received the
Healthy Families America Shining Star Award in recognition of their profound
influence on the national implementation of Healthy Families America.

Ms.
Breakey along with Ms. Dew established the Hawaii Family Support Center in
1975, initiating home visiting services, which evolved into the Hawaii Healthy
Start program. Ms. Breakey was instrumental in pioneering the Healthy
Families America program, visiting at least 20 states to introduce the program
and assist in strategizing how to initiate programs with local leadership. Further,
Ms. Breakey also played a key role initiating the Hawaii Family Support
Institute in 2004, which has continued advocacy for Healthy Start among other
projects.

Ms.
Dew is a founding architect of Healthy Families America, designing the first
in-state and national training and quality assurance systems, as well as, a
systematic process for reaching out to parents to link to appropriate resources.
She is co-author of a study of children hospitalized for abuse/neglect and has
provided technical consultation in development of family support programs
throughout the U.S., for the U.S. Navy Worldwide, and in the Philippine
Islands, Canada, Jordan, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand.

“It is not enough to say
that Gail Breakey and Betsy Dew are deserving recipients of this award,” said
James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America, “because
without them, home visiting in general, and Healthy Families America more
specifically, would never have become the fixture it has in enhancing the
well-being of children and families across this country."

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ABOUT
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972 in Chicago, works to ensure the healthy development of
children nationwide. The organization promotes that vision through a network of
chapters in 50 states and 539 Healthy Families America sites in 41 states, the
District of Columbia, all five US territories (Guam,
Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Northern Commonwealth of the Marianas, and
American Samoa) and Canada. A major organizational focus is to advocate for the
existence of a national policy framework and strategy for children and families
while promoting evidence-based practices that prevent abuse and neglect from
ever occurring. To learn more about what we’re doing to prevent child abuse and
neglect and how you can help, please visit our websites, here
and here.

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Prevent Child Abuse America

About Me

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972 and based in Chicago, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide. The organization promotes that vision through a network of chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America, home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. A major organizational focus is to advocate for the existence of a national policy framework and strategy for children and families while promoting evidence-based practices that prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring. To learn more about what we’re doing to prevent child abuse and neglect and how you can help, please visit our websites preventchildabuse.org and healthyfamiliesamerica.org.